the violence follows a decision from the white house to extend sanctions on russia. including 17 firms and sanctioning seven more russian officials. the bbc is in the eastern ukraine and has the latest for us. >> in eastern ukraine, it takes courage. out to, they have come call for a united ukraine. just wait five minutes, this man says, then, we will show you. attacked withoups firecrackers and baseball bats. the police did nothing to stop this. they have been battered into submission. the violence is escalating. ukraine -- he is fighting for his life in the hospital. who wasfilmed the mayor considered pro-russian. are blocking kiev his office and he has become a critic of the old government and a supporter of the ukraine. you will not find many of those here. we found pro-russian militants had sees the council building and the local police station. the crowd sang about the ussr. the militia that seized control here said that they had no trouble at all taking this building. they said they came and walked in stop there was no security and no one to stop them. theimir